The daughter of the feared League of Shadows leader, the woman who nearly destroyed Gotham, Talia al Ghul, was trembling with rage at Su Sheng's audacity. The sound of her heavy breathing was audible, and it took her a while to suppress the fury burning inside her. For the sake of her mission to destroy Gotham, she decided to endure this humiliation.
"Fine, you win, but…" Talia tried to keep her composure, but she felt like she couldn't let him get away without throwing in some harsh words.
"Whether I win or you win, this isn't some kind of game. I'm not someone you can intimidate. Now stop with the threats and get to work on what I asked for," Su Sheng interrupted her with a cold tone, sparking her anger once more.
"I'm going to kill you, I swear. I'm going to kill you," she snarled into the phone.
Hearing her furious voice, Su Sheng turned his head slightly and replied with a bored tone. "Don't shout at me. I was scared by dogs when I was a kid."
"..."
"Did you just call me a dog? How dare you!" Talia snapped.
"Dogs are man's best friend. Why are we fighting? Can't we just sit down and work things out calmly?" Su Sheng asked in a tone that was almost sincere.
Talia's chest heaved with anger, but after a moment, she sneered, "When I see you, I'm going to make sure you regret those words."
"If you can manage that." Su Sheng chuckled dismissively and then went on to give her the details of the uniform he wanted.
Talia knew that continuing this argument would only make things worse for her. As that infuriating man had said, why fight? The next time she saw him, she would deal with him swiftly and without mercy.
"Three days from now, deliver the items to Frank Bertinelli's house in Starling City."
With Talia's resources, it wasn't difficult to figure out who Frank Bertinelli was—the head of a crime syndicate in Starling City. Su Sheng knew better than to think she would deliver the items without setting up some kind of trap. After all, if she planned to take him out, she'd need to make sure she had the upper hand. Not that it mattered to him—if anyone was going to fall into a trap, it wouldn't be him.
Hanging up the phone, Su Sheng left to continue with his day.
Meanwhile, in the office of the president at Wayne Enterprises, Talia al Ghul put down the phone and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she thought. The size specifications he'd given were obviously for a woman. It didn't matter who was supposed to wear it—the important thing was using this opportunity to kill Su Sheng and retrieve the compromising materials he had.
Suddenly, an idea came to her mind.
That Catwoman.
She had been locked up in the same cell as Su Sheng before. With that connection, she could easily approach him. Even if she couldn't kill him, she could certainly retrieve what she wanted with her skills. And why would Catwoman help her? Didn't she want to clear her criminal record?
With the right bait, even the most elusive fish could be caught.
As Talia made arrangements to have the uniform created, she also reached out to Catwoman. Finding her wasn't easy, but Talia had her ways. When she finally tracked her down, she approached her as Miranda Tate, explaining that Su Sheng was blackmailing her with compromising photos and demanding the uniform in return. Talia promised to provide Catwoman with the software to clear her criminal record if she could retrieve the photos.
Catwoman still remembered Su Sheng. She hadn't wanted to get involved with him after he had easily killed Bane, someone she had once feared. But the offer was too tempting to pass up. Clearing her criminal record would finally allow her to live freely as Selina Kyle.
Talia didn't ask Catwoman to kill Su Sheng—she knew that was a line Catwoman wouldn't cross. Besides, Talia had other plans.
Three days was neither too long nor too short.
When the time came, Talia arranged for the finished product to be sent to Starling City, with Catwoman accompanying the delivery.
At the Bertinelli mansion in Starling City, Helena Bertinelli stood by the window, peeking out through the curtains. At least twenty armed security guards were patrolling the villa. She lowered the curtains and turned to Su Sheng, who was lying on her bed, asking in disbelief, "How did you get in?"
"Stealth and charm. Surprised?" Su Sheng grinned.
"My father forbade me from leaving the house and is still hunting for you. Yet, you had the nerve to come here? You're risking your life," Helena said, both worried and impressed. "You need to leave now. If my father returns, you won't be able to escape."
Su Sheng got up, pulling Helena closer to him with a mischievous smile. "Your father's been searching everywhere for me, and here I am, lying in bed with his daughter, in his house. If he knew, he'd be furious, right? Doesn't that make it all the more thrilling? Even the leader of a crime syndicate can't stop his daughter from enjoying herself under his very nose."
"But there are two bodyguards right outside the door," Helena whispered, glancing towards the entrance.
"Then we'll just have to keep it down."
Helena's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Wait a second, I have an idea."
She walked to her closet and pulled out a black gag, showing it off proudly. "With this, we won't have to worry about being too loud."
"You have something like that? You're a little twisted, but... I like it." Su Sheng's eyes lit up as she put it on herself, his excitement growing.
...